Ward 7 Candidate, Mohammad Faraj, Seeks to Center Public Health in Cleveland’s Infrastructure

Cleveland’s new Ward 7 is home to some of the region’s greatest natural assets, including the freshwater of Lake Erie and the economic vitality of the Cuyahoga River. Yet at the same time, Cleveland suffers from an infrastructure that doesn’t prioritize public health.

“Lead poisoning, polluted air, a withering tree canopy, and limited access to the city’s waterfronts,” Mohammad shares, “all of these are the result of the city not prioritizing infrastructure that promotes healthy communities.”

According to the city’s Public Health Department, Cleveland has the most kids with high lead levels as compared to similar cities like Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Akron. Though every neighborhood within the new Ward 7 has children testing positive for lead poisoning, the highest rates are in our Detroit-Shoreway community.

Mohammad emphasizes, “We cannot afford for our children to continue to be poisoned while we work through the bureaucracy of it all. We must act with urgency driven by an accurate and comprehensive vision to solve what truly is a problem with our city’s infrastructure.”

And most recently, the American Lung Association released its 2025 State of the Air report to reveal that Cleveland ranks as the ninth-worst metro area for year-round particle air pollution. Mohammad notes that this concerning reality is likely to worsen as the state of Ohio is prepared to remove a rule that allows residents to sue air polluters.

Last, Mohammad is honored to be running in a ward surrounded by Cleveland’s Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River. While the city’s current administration works through its relationship with the Cleveland Browns, Mohammad is committed to ensuring the planning and development of a revitalized waterfront is what remains prioritized.

“The city administration is appearing to take this once-in-a-generation opportunity seriously, and I appreciate that,” Mohammad comments, citing the city’s recent announcement regarding the revitalization of the lakefront, “but this is a once-in-a-generation chance to get this right, not take shortcuts, and put the residents experience at the center.”

From Ward’s 7 youngest to our respected elders, all residents deserve a city councilor that is effective in right-ing the public health wrongs that have plagued Cleveland’s infrastructure for generations.

While it may be tempting to keep de-prioritizing solving our city’s most challenging problems, Mohammad believes we simply cannot be a city with the best three hospital systems in the world and a population struggling with public health.

Why Public Health is on the Ballot in 2025

In Cleveland, Ohio, public health has long been 

For the first time in over 30 years, residents of Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont, and The Flats have the opportunity to elect their next new city councilor. Mohammad believes that true representation must be based on an unwavering commitment to the accessibility of local government—a leading priority of his candidacy for Ward 7 city council.

For voters in Cleveland searching for a candidate who prioritizes accessibility, dependability, and reliability, Mohammad’s campaign strives to improve the everyday lives of every resident.